Sandra’s ICT Blog

Im generally not the best person to ask about the World Wide Web. Yeah i tend to use it  for research or general interest purposes though if someone were to ask me to define it they would probably get the answer umm! rather than as according to Lockard and Abrams “The www is a global netword comprised of millions of servers… Most users understand the Web as the resources- the documents, graphics, audio and video files- that are found on those servers”. Geez! lol.

But! after attending this week’s tutorial i feel a little more confident about my ideas and abilities. I know the difference between a home page and a URL  as well as the components to the URL (i feel like such a supergenius lol). I feel confident to start a conversation involving web jargon.. although i think that would be slightly lame… lol. I completed the Pandia tutorial but found it really confusing… the only part i understood was in relation to key words and searching which helped me loads with my portfolio item 2 searching techniques.

What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of the Web in relation to classroom teaching and learning? What are some of the specific ways in which you might use the Web in your own teaching? Nowadays i think it is common teaching technique to use the web in teaching. On my first practical the teacher that i was working with introduced me to a mathematics website with brain teasers and class activities that she used each morning to wake her students up and get them going before their maths lesson was to officially begin. This is definitely an example of a specific way i will implement the internet into teaching methods in the future. http://www.transum.org/Software/ (This is the website! hope you’ll find it interesting!). Though there are definite advantages and disadvantages to using the Web in relation to classroom teaching. In regards to disadvantages a teacher may become too dependent upon the internet for classroom teaching/activities which would prohibit the children developing themselves with hands on activities… and more importantly the internet is not always reliable and so therefore wouldnt be as effective as an approved book for information and such. Advantage wise using the internet for teaching activites develops the necessary searching skills for young children and presents one with information at their fingertips instantaneously.

Why is it important for both students and teachers to develop skills to enable them to critically evaluate the quality of information found on the Web? What criteria are important when evaluating web sites for educational purposes? It is important for both students and teachers to develop skills enabling them to evaluate quality information from the rubbish so that when students are older they will find web researching a much easier task, enabling them to complete their work more efficiently. For teachers in particular, they must be able to evaluate the quality of information on the net so that they can model correct internet ettiquette in regards to this topic and also so that they can delve through internet information, providing their students with correct and quality information that they can add to their knowledge base in regards to particular topics. The criteria that are important when evaluating web sites for educational purposes as according to the website The Good, The Bad & The Ugly: or, Why It’s a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Sources, http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/evalcrit.html, includes checking the authority of the webpage, delving into whether the site is accurate, reliable and error-free, deciphering whether the page is bias in its presentation of information, checking the date and currency of the page, and finally the general coverage of information on the page… its ‘intrinsic value’.

I am a WWW connoisseur!

Smart Boards Leave Chalk in the Dust. I was soo intrigued by the Year 5 class that i am currently doing practical with having a smart board within the class, used regularly by their teacher that i thought id do some independent investigation lol.

I came across this article online from The Australian that generally pointed out the great reception that ‘The Smart Board’ has had within classrooms today, though that they are costly. But! in my opinion money should not be an issue when we are extending the knowledge and understanding of young people today through the use of this technology. I absoloutely loved the following quote and it basically reiterates my point of view, “The boards allow teachers to use educational software and access the internet while engaging the entire class, rather than having students using individual computers”.

I believe that the Smart Board is going to revolutionise classrooms around Australia allowing for more intuitive skills to plant themselves within younger generations.

Today i felt like delving further into the tangled web of understanding the web and expanding my knowledge on the internet interacting with email services. After checking the announcements from Mark Lee i decided to delve into the prescribed sites online ‘How web servers work’ and ‘Internet for Education’.

Firstly, in regards to the ‘Internet for Education’ site i found it to be particularly informative in terms of incorporation of ICT into teaching. I found that there were actual links to official sites dedicated to outlining nearly every aspect of teaching imaginable. The site continued to detail both non-familiar and familiar internet databases for searching such as ERIC and HERO. Most importantly the website allowed for my to create my own ‘links basket’ and allowed me to identify a number. I also found this site great because it listed the pros and cons of search engines (which also helped me a little with my portfolio item 2 researching). The site further reiterated the point that in a search it is imperative to pick out the best search terms and key words.  This is definitely an idea that i will be putting to my future students to aid them in their quest for the most effective searches. I particularly enjoyed the ‘Judge’ section of the website where emphasis was put on the internet not always being trustworthy but more importantly i came across a helpful little acronym that will aid me in getting this idea to students in the future- When looking at a website ask yourself the 3 WWWs- who, where and when. I can pretty much conclude that this website is one that i will surely refer to when teaching in the future as there were a number of helpful hints/tips on the implementation of computer knowledge for students.

Secondly, in regards to the ‘How web servers work’ site i found it really helpful as it explained the whole ‘browser and server’ scenario, bringing it visually alive with a simple image lol. It reiterated various points regarding computer connections to the internet around the world and IP addresses, etc. I found this website was helpful for myself in reiterating points that had been slightly unclear from the tutorials, though ultimately i’m not sure if it would be wholly important in the educating of students… though in 3-4 years time who knows what will be being taught in classrooms.. so i will not refer to this site as redundant in regards to teaching methods just as yet…  who knows maybe by then computers may have taken over the world! :O!

Why is it important for a teacher to have an understanding of how computer networks, as well as the Internet and WWW, work? I think it is imperative for a teacher to have an understanding of how computer networds as well as the Internet and WWW work because students these days are intuitive little beings and are wanting to broaden their knowledge base as much as possible- and generally a hot topic in their minds is in regards to understanding computers and the internet. I think it is also important for a teacher to know about computer networks and such because to be an effective teacher in regards to the implementation of smartboards into classrooms which call for a complete understanding of these elements. If the basics of computer networks and the internet are not understood properly by the teacher it is obvious that a complete understanding cannot be passed onto students = ineffective teaching.

What are some potential applications of Internet services such as the WWW and email that you might draw on to enhance teaching and learning in your classroom? As the smartboard is a predominant member of the teaching classroom nowadays i can draw on a number of english and mathematics activities and have the class complete them as a group task discussing opinions and answers along the way. Im not sure if email would be appropriate for young children and class activities but again with WWW it can be demonstrated to smaller students as a tool of broadening knowledge when search effective techniques are employed.

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